The key that unlocked Luke for me though, came from a commenter on TheForce.net named Jedi Princess. “Luke is gentle, in a way that so few action/adventure movie heroes are.” I read that and immediately flashed back to an anecdote from the making of A New Hope. When Luke and C-3PO track down R2-D2, Hamill initially played the scene angrily — only to hear George Lucas say “cut” and tell him, “it’s not a big deal.” Hamill then delivered a deliberately understated take, expecting the director to concede more emotion was needed. Lucas thought it was perfect. It was the moment Hamill understood the character, and years later it helped me do the same thing.

This isn’t to say Luke is passive in the classic trilogy. But he destroys the Death Star by taking Obi-Wan Kenobi’s advice to “let go,” and he defeats the Emperor not through his lightsaber skills, but by awakening his father’s love. It’s in Empire that Luke is most active, and his decisions prove disastrous for himself and his friends. It’s the opposite of what you’d expect in big action movies. Once I realized all that, I had the foundation for the story I wanted to tell.